Marcion was a bishop and wealthy shipowner of Sinope, the chief port of Pontus, on the southern shore of the Black Sea; he was also the son of a bishop, Philologus of Sinope, one of the Seventy Disciples. It has been estimated that Marcion was born about 70 C.E. and began his ministry in Asia Minor as a disciple of the Apostle John around 100 C.E. The Church Father Polycarp commented on Marcion’s ministry as early as 115 C.E. His ministry lasted until after 150 C.E., and he died around 160 C.E. He lived to be about 90 years old.

Among his many achievements is the compilation of the first Christian bible, which contained the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the revelation the Apostle Paul received, and the original eleven epistles. To achieve this, Marcion and his fleet retraced the routes of the Apostle Paul’s journeys throughout the Roman Empire. Marcion revisited all of the Pre-Nicene churches Paul established, collecting Paul’s original Greek writings and letters, which he transcribed and put into a codex or book format for the first time.

Shortly after gathering the Apostle Paul’s epistles and Gospel, Marcion compared our Christian God as revealed to us only through Jesus Christ with the barbaric carnal deity Yahweh portrayed in the Hebrew Bible. He concluded that these were not the same God and wrote a book detailing his comparisons and conclusions titled, ‘Antithesis.’ The book and its findings led to a schism among the early church leaders in which the two sides branded the other as heretics.

Sometime in the late 130s C.E., Marcion traveled to Rome, joined the Roman church, and made a large donation of 200,000 sesterces to the congregation there. Conflicts with the Church of Rome arose, and he was eventually denounced as a heretic and excommunicated in 144 C.E., his donation being returned to him. After his excommunication, he returned to Asia Minor, where he continued to lead his many church congregations.

The Marcionite Christians are among the earliest Christian groups. Not only are the Marcionites credited with the first Christian Bible, but also the oldest inscription of Jesus’ name in recorded history was found carved into the doorway of a Marcionite church in Syria, it read “The Lord and Saviour Jesus, the Good“. It was dated 318 C.E. and discovered by French archaeologists in 1870.

The Marcionite Christians were one of the largest and most widespread Christian sects, until the fourth century. In the fourth century, the Catholics gained political influence and the Catholic Roman emperors began persecuting and exterminating all other faiths including the Marcionite Christians. Marcionite Christians continued to flourish outside of the Roman Empire until the tenth century with many of the faithful being found in Syria and northeastern Persia during the latter stages of its existence.

The Marcionite Christians believed that only Paul the Apostle had fully understood the message of Jesus, and they considered only his writings to be scripture.

Focusing on the Pauline traditions of the Gospel, Marcion felt that all other conceptions of the Gospel, and especially any association with the Hebrew Bible, was opposed to, and a backsliding from, the truth. He further regarded the arguments of Paul regarding law and gospel, wrath, and grace, works and faith, flesh and spirit, sin and righteousness, death and life, as the essence of religious truth.

After his evangelization throughout the Roman Empire in the 2nd Century, several energetic responses to Marcion that may be attributed to his early work and mission began to surface. These include the expansion of the New Testament canon, such as Church Tradition, the Rule of Faith, and Apostolic Succession, all introduced to undermine Marcion’s insistence on Prima Scriptura.

The concept of Apostolic Succession made it possible for the authority and prerogatives of the Catholic leadership to issue directives and assign the label “authentic” or “spurious” to Christian writings vying for canonical status. Many gospels, forgeries, and interpolated copies began to appear. Church leaders arbitrarily set up standards for accepting a writing as authentic and authoritative. The criteria included a claim to have been written by an apostle, a claim to have been written by someone who knew an apostle, and a writing that had to reflect the beliefs of a broad part of the proto-orthodox movement. Another word for this is Church Tradition.

Since many of the newly authored writings had no basis for apostolic authorship claims, the church looked for and created stories on the thinnest of rationale to claim apostolicity for the various expanded canon. This is a place where protestant adherents to the Sola Scriptura principle need to take a breath and realize that many of the New Testament books which were finally declared canonical are there only on account of Church Tradition. As Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, “Protestants, in denying the authority of tradition, have cut off the branch on which they sit.”

After Marcion commenced his evangelistic crusade, a significant portion of Christian literature became devoted to apologetics or polemical defenses of orthodoxy; forgeries of Christian semi-scriptures mushroomed, and some of these pseudepigrapha were composed to counteract some aspect of Marcion’s theology, these included the interpolated Pastoral Epistles of the second century, apparently edited and expanded in opposition to the Marcionite Christian faith as they began to contain explicit anti-Marcionite Christian theology;  and the Apostles’ Creed, which is generally recognized as a forgery. The Creeds of the church were not just statements of faith. They became necessary in reaction to alternate and competing beliefs. Some scholars, such as Arthur C. McGiffert, recognize it as composed specially to temper Marcion’s theism.

Scholar Adolf von Harnack also represented Marcion as the indirect creator of the Catholic Church. This characterization mainly refers to the Roman ecclesia’s response to Marcion’s evangelism. The rapid growth of Marcionite churches across the Roman Empire in the first two decades of the 2nd Century motivated the presbytery of the Roman congregation to form a more comprehensive hierarchy and outreach.

Since Marcion was the first to have a clearly defined list of canonical books, this posed a challenge and incentive to the emerging Catholic Church; if they wished to deny that Marcion’s list was the true one, it was incumbent on them to define what the true one was. The expansion phase of the New Testament canon thus began in response to Marcion’s proposed limited canon.

Most of what we know about Marcion and his work comes from a record written by his enemies. It’s interesting to note that all of the writers who attacked Marcion did so only after his death when he was unable to respond to or refute their malign assertions. One such enemy was an early Catholic Church Father named Tertullian who claimed that Marcion redacted his Evangelicon narrative from the Gospel of Luke, cutting out everything that he didn’t believe in. Scholars have since confirmed the Marcionite Priority which confirms the Gospel of Luke rather was redacted from the Evangelicon, adding to it Catholic dogma.

It is believed by some that the Evangelicon was edited and added to by Theolophus, the bishop of Antioch, in about 160 C.E. He doubled its size by adding other information that he thought essential for a Gospel, and then named it to the Gospel of Luke.

Further, there is no documentary evidence of any pre-Marcionite Pauline Epistles or a pre-Marcionite Gospel of Luke. Marcion’s canon had to have been the text used in Rome prior to 144 C.E. Therefore, the manuscript Marcion used was older than the oldest extant manuscript of Paul’s writings from 200 C.E. found in Egypt. The Pauline Epistles were officially considered to be scripture by the Pauline and later Marcionite Church long before the Catholic Church officially accepted their later edited versions.

In addition, it would have been considerably easier to make changes from Marcion’s versions to the longer versions of the Catholic Church. The complexity of redacting the longer version into the shorter version would have made it nearly impossible for many of the textual differences to come about.

The seeds of controversy were sown very early in Christiantiy. When the Apostle Paul was converted to Christianity, he completely gave up Judaism. The Apostle Paul believed he was motivated by the indwelling Spirit of Christ and had received his gospel by revelation from the risen Jesus, who was the savior of mankind, whether they were Jews or Gentiles.

In the first and 2^nd Centuries, there was a great conflict between Paul and Peter, and between the disciples of Paul and the disciples of Peter. The Christians on the side of Paul believed that the Christian faith was for all people, not just for Jews. The Christians on the side of Peter said that to convert to the Christian faith, you must be circumcised because they considered Christianity to be a sect of Judaism. To those Petrine Christians, any uncircumcised bishop would be considered a false bishop; in fact, he would even be considered a false Christian. To early Petrine Christians and even more radical groups such as the ‘Ebionites’, you had to be circumcised to be a Christian and a member of the Jewish priesthood to be a bishop.

Early canon law in the Catholic Church, which is said to be based on early traditions passed down from the apostles, says that it is absolutely forbidden to have more than one bishop in one city. And yet, in the city of Antioch, there is a record that indicates that there were two ‘first’ bishops in that city at the same time. One was Bishop Euodius, who was ordained by Paul, and the other was Bishop Ignatius, who was ordained by Peter.

This Paul vs. Peter division is also hinted at in the city of Rome itself. Early authorities indicate that the first bishop of Rome was Linus and that he was ordained by Paul, not Peter. Cletus (or Anacletus), the second bishop of Rome, was likewise ordained by Paul. Clement, ordained by Peter, is listed third or fourth in many lists made of bishops of Rome, but early authorities have him as first, as though there were no true bishops in Rome until one came from Peter. Jerome said, “Clement . . . the fourth bishop of Rome after Peter, if indeed the second was Linus and the third Anacletus, although most of the Latins think that Clement was second after the apostle [Peter]”.

The fact is, there were two jurisdictions of bishops in Rome, one of Paul and one of Peter, at the same time, just as was most likely the case in Antioch. This would provide an answer also to why it seems impossible to set dates for the reign of the first bishops of Rome.

Marcion now enters the picture.

Marcion lived long enough to see what Rome was like when it was administered by elders under Paul. He saw too what he thought were various innovations and corruptions that started to creep into the Roman Church after the elders under Peter began to rule. Marcion was perhaps the first church reformer. He wanted to see the church return to the pure Christian form it had when it was Pauline.

Tertullian claimed that Marcion started his own church. Tertullian recorded that the Marcionite Christians had a large, widespread, well-organized, and independent network of Churches and bishops before the end of the 2^nd Century Tertullian said, “Marcion’s heretical tradition has filled the entire world”. Tertullian even went so far as to attack Paul the Apostle, calling him “The Apostle of heretics.” It is hard to imagine that the Marcionite Church would have grown so fast if it only started in 144 C.E. which is the date the bishops of Peter in Rome excommunicated Marcion. It was likely that the Marcionite Church was larger than the Catholic Church at one point and it is said that it continued to grow even after the death of Marcion.

Historically, the Catholic Church would label members of certain Christian churches by the names of their founders, either actual or purported. Such supposed founders were referred to as heresiarchs. This was done even when such a church viewed itself as belonging to the one true church, such as the Marcionites. This allowed the Catholic Church to say that the other church was founded by some heretical founder, while only the Catholic Church was truly founded by Christ.

It can be concluded that it is far more likely that the date for the beginning of the Marcionite Church is what must be wrong, rather than the claim that this church grew at such an unrealistic pace.

The answer is that this Marcionite Church was exactly what itself claimed to be: a ‘Pauline’ Church founded by the Apostle Paul. Further, the Pauline bishops in Rome, we can assume, would not have been a part of the excommunication of Marcion.

Marcionism or Paulinism became so pervasive that it was easier to absorb Paul, interpolate, redefine, and write in his name than to reject him outright. The result is the Judeo-Christian religion which became Christianity as we know it. Prior to Marcion, most of the other forms of Christianity had been largely Jewish with Platonic influences. Marcion’s Paulinism mixed with Jewish Christianity formed a syncretic amalgam, a synthesis of the absorption of two different streams. Resulting in the creation of the Catholic Church.

Ultimately, it is unknown whether Marcion innovated his own Christian viewpoints or was carrying on an early tradition inherited from earlier teachers, such as his own teacher, the Apostle John. Maricon’s own father, Philologus of Sinope, was one of the Seventy Disciples of Jesus Christ and was himself a bishop, consecrated by the Apostle Andrew, and Philologus was also a follower of the Apostle Paul in Rome. In any event, the emergence of Marcion into the historical record is our first glimpse of Pauline Christianity, the Pauline epistles, and the singular Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He considered the Apostle Paul to be the only authoritative teacher of the gospel. He, along with the Apostle Paul, cursed alternate or competing gospels.

Yes. The Catholic Church, founded by Peter, and the Pauline and later Marcionite Church, founded by Paul, were in competition with each other. Although you may find Epistles of Paul in the common Bible today, there was a time when the churches established by Peter did not accept them, nor did they accept Paul as a true apostle. As many Catholics began to accept the Epistles of Paul, Catholic redactors made copies of the Pauline letters, adding interpolations that made Paul appear more like a Catholic, a team player under the leadership of Peter. After the death of Marcion, all the original letters of Paul were destroyed, so that the Catholic redacted versions could make the claim to be the original.

The ‘Acts of the Apostles’ was likewise written to make Paul into a ‘Catholic’ missionary, rather than the first and greatest Apostle after Jesus. It is clear the author of the Gospel of Luke is the same author of Acts. Further, there is no outside record that anything recorded in the Acts of the Apostles ever happened, a conclusion reached among many scholars. One such scholar, Hermann Detering, said, “The great majority of historical statements made in Acts about the life and person of the apostle Paul are legendary in character and thus are to be enjoyed only with great caution”. This is so because the ‘Catholic’ Paul never existed. Instead of rejecting Paul altogether, as was attempted at first, the Catholic church accepted a ‘Catholic’ version of Paul and then tried to make Marcion the fall guy, labeling him the ‘heretic’, though he taught exactly as Paul.

It was the early Catholic Church that started the false claim that Marcion had started his own Church rather than simply continuing in the tradition of Paul’s Pauline Church.

Paul was even depicted as best friends with Peter on the icons in the church.

This was done so that the Catholic Church could gain the advantage over the Pauline and later Marcionite Church and eventually overcome it.

No. The Catholic Church didn’t formally exist, at least not in its current form, until hundreds of years after the Marcionite Christians formed their own Church. Also, many critics of Marcion, like Tertullian, were hired to smear the Marcionite Christians, but what does Jerome tell us about Tertullian?

“As to Tertullian, I have nothing else to say except that he was not a man of the church.”

We entirely agree with our Catholic brothers on this point.

Further, most of the heretical accusations against Marcionite Christians are misplaced. We are not dualists; we are not docetists; we do not prohibit marriage; we do not mandate celibacy; we do not prohibit the drinking of wine or eating of meat.

These beliefs are actually those of the gnostic and ascetic Cerdo, a contemporary of Marcion. Cerdo and his sect, known as the Cerdonians, were excommunicated by the Roman ecclesia around 138 C.E. Most of the charges leveled against them would be erroneously applied to Marcionite Christians some six years later during the excommunication of Marcion in 144 C.E. Tertullian and other critics of Marcion purposefully conflated these two groups in his writings and portrayed Cerdo as a precursor or teacher of Marcion rather than simply just a contemporary. Tertullian and other Marcionite critics did this to strengthen their arguments against the Marcionite Christians and to make the Marcionite Church less appealing to potential converts.

However, it is worth pointing out that Cerdo and the Cerdonians appear to have used the Testamentum or a version of it as their canon. Cerdo also rejected the Hebrew Bible and did not view Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. This shows that many early Christian groups, not just the Marcionite Christians, used the Testamentum.

The Roman ecclesia excommunicated both Cerdo and Marcion for their supposed interpretations of scripture, not for using the scripture itself, which was most likely the same scripture used by the Roman ecclesia at that time.

Eusebius describes that of all the early Christian sects, the Marcionite Christians had the greatest multitude of martyrs.

He names two in particular. First, Metrodorus, the presbyter of Smyrna. Metrodorus was an early Christian martyr who was burned alive along with Polycarp in 156 C.E. during the persecutions of Christians during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Second was the Asclepius, the protopresbyter of Eleutheropolis, who, during the Diocletianic Persecution, was also burned alive at Caesarea on the same pyre as Peter Apselamus on January 10, 310 C.E.

In addition, Eusebius also refers to an unnamed Marcionite woman, potentially a deaconess, who was martyred in the arena of Caesarea around 257 C.E. during the reign of Emperor Valerian.

The disciples of Marcion of Sinope that we know of include Apelles of Alexandria, Lucanus (Or Lucianus) of Rome, Syneros, Potitus, and Basilicus.

The primary source for the names of these disciples is Rhodo.

Apelles was the greatest and most famous of Marcion’s disciples and was his successor in many respects.

It appears that Lucanus was the leader of the Marcionite Christians in Rome after Marcion’s death.

Although the different disciples of Marcion held somewhat various theological beliefs, which gave rise to different schools, according to Rhodo, they did not split up into opposing sects but remained one united church and retained the one general name of Marcionite Christians. It is by this general name alone that they are always referred to by the Church Fathers. The fact that they could hold some variant theological beliefs without splitting up into sects shows that doctrines were but a side issue with them and that the religious spirit and the biblical canon were the matters upon which they laid the chief emphasis. This shows a fundamental difference between Marcionite Christians and the various competing Gnostic sects.

Other Marcionite Christians we know of are Prepon the Assyrian, Pitho, Megethius, Marcus, and Blastus.

Prepon the Assyrian apparently wrote a book, which is now lost, entitled ‘Bardesanes the Armenian,’ in which he defends the theological principles of Marcionite Christianity.

Megethius and Marcus are two Marcionite Christian presbyters mentioned in Adamantius’ work, ‘De recta in Deum fide.’ 

Epiphanius says that Theodotion, the translator of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, had been a Marcionite Christian before his apostasy to Judaism. Jerome states that Ambrose of Alexandria was also a Marcionite Christian before his conversion by Origen.

Apelles was the chief disciple of Marcion. Apelles started his ministry as a disciple of Marcion in Rome and continued his ministry in the city of Alexandria. He lived until at least the reign of Emperor Commodus between 180-193 C.E.

Philologus of Sinope was the father of Marcion of Sinope and also one of the Seventy Disciples of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Andrew consecrated Philologus as the Bishop of Sinope.

Philologus was also at one point a companion of the Apostle Paul in Rome and is mentioned in the Epistle to the Alexandrians:

“Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.”

Alexandrians 1:15

The Seventy Disciples were the early emissaries of Jesus Christ mentioned in the Evangelicon.

Jesus appointed them and sent them out in pairs on specific missions.

“And after these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself was about to come.”

Evangelicon 7:1

The list below is based originally on a Greek text titled On the Seventy Apostles of Christ, which is attributed to Hippolytus of Rome and known from several manuscripts, the oldest of which is Codex Baroccianus, 206 C.E.

1. James the Just
2. Cleopas of Jerusalem
3. Matthias of Jerusalem
4. Thaddeus of Edessa
5. Ananias of Damascus
6. Stephen the Protomartyr
7. Philip the Evangelist
8. Prochorus of Nicomedia
9. Nicanor the Deacon
10. Timon the Deacon
11. Parmenas of Soli
12. Nicolas the Deacon
13. Barnabas of Milan
14. Mark the Evangelist
15. Luke the Evangelist
16. Silas of Corinth
17. Silvanus of Thessalonica
18. Crescens of Galatia
19. Epenetus of Carthage
20. Andronicus of Pannonia
21. Ampliatus of Odessos
22. Urban of Macedonia
23. Stachys of Byzantium
24. Barsabbas of Eleutheropolis
25. Phygellus of Ephesus
26. Hermagoras of Aquileia
27. Demas of Thessalonica
28. Apelles of Heraklion
29. Aristobulus of Brittania
30. Narcissus of Athens
31. Herodion of Patras
32. Agabus the Prophet
33. Rufus of Thebes
34. Asyncritus of Hyrcania
35. Phlegon of Marathon
36. Hermas of Dalmatia
37. Patrobulus of Puteoli
38. Hermas of Philippopolis
39. Linus of Rome
40. Gaius of Ephesus
41. Philologus of Sinope
42. Olympas the Martyr
43. Parrobus of Pottole
44. Lucius of Cyrene
45. Jason of Thessalonica
46. Sosipater of Iconium
47. Tertius of Iconium
48. Erastus of Corinth
49. Quartus of Berytus
50. Apollos of Caesarea
51. Cephas of Iconium
52. Sosthenes of Colophonia
53. Tychicus of Colophonia
54. Epaphroditus of Andriaca
55. Caesar of Dyrrachium
56. Mark of Apollonia
57. Achaicus of Corinth
58. Artemas of Lystra
59. Clement of Sardice
60. Onesiphorus of Colophon
61. Archippus of Laodicea
62. Carpus of Beroea
63. Evodius of Antioch
64. Aristarchus of Thessalonica
65. John Mark of Bibloupolis
66. Zenas the Lawyer
67. Philemon of Gaza
68. Fortunatus of Corinth
69. Pudens the Senator
70. Trophimus the Martyr

The Marcionite Church of Christ believes that Paul was elevated to the status of apostle by the resurrected Jesus Christ, thus replacing Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve Apostles.

The Apostle Paul used the term “false apostles” to primarily describe the Judaizers.

The Judaizers were a group of Jewish Christians who insisted that their co-religionists should follow the Mosaic Law and that Gentile converts to Christianity must first be circumcised.

The Apostle Paul was severely critical of the Judaizers within the Early Church and harshly reprimanded them for their doctrines and behavior. The Apostle Paul saw the Judaizers as being both dangerous to the spread of the one true Gospel and propagators of grievous doctrinal errors. Many of his epistles included in the Testamentum contain considerable material disputing the view of this Judaizing faction and condemning its practitioners.

The Apostle Paul even publicly condemned the Apostle Peter for his seemingly ambivalent reaction to the Judaizers, embracing them publicly in places where their preaching was popular while holding the private opinion that their doctrines were erroneous.

From all indications, the Apostle Paul rejected incorporating any part of Judaism into Christianity. Others such as Barnabas, Basilides, Cerdon, and Marcion, along with the Gnostic Christians, followed Paul’s view that the Hebrew Bible should not be part of Christianity.

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 13:11

Some scholars, such as historian Joseph Turmel have noted similarities in the theology between Marcionite Christians and the early Johannine Christians that produced the Gospel of John and the Johannine Epistles. Marcion of Sinope started his ministry in Asia Minor as a disciple of the Apostle John.

Many later Christian sects and movements inherited theological tenets from the Marcionite Christians.

The Paulicians are the most notable sect to have descended from Marcionite Christians. They were confined to the territory of the Eastern Roman Empire. They flourished originally in Armenia, where they came into contact with Zoroastrianism and Manichaenism, and they mixed those beliefs into their syncretic theology.

Paulicians like Marcionites had a strong preference for the works and theology of the Apostle Paul, whom they placed highest among the Apostles.

The founder of the sect was Constantine, a Syrian originally from a Marcionite Church in Mananalis near Samosata. He began to teach about ~657 C.E.  By this time, most Marcionite Christian communities had ceased to exist.

It seems that the Paulicians originally used a mutilated and enlarged version of Marcion’s original Testamentum. They used only the Gospel of Luke, but they accepted all the epistles save for the Epistles of Peter. However, like the Marcionite Christians, they also rejected the entire Hebrew Bible.

They also refused all veneration of Mary, like the Marcionites.

The key theological differences from Marcionite Christians are that they were avowed dualists, docetists, iconoclasts, and non-trinitarian. In these senses, they seemed far closer to gnosticism than Marcionism.

The Paulicians would be slowly deported to Thrace (Modern-day Bulgaria) by the Byzantine Emperors starting in 747 C.E. and culminating In 970 C.E.

These Thracian Paulicians would eventually morph their views into Bogomilism, another Christian sect that flourished in Bulgaria.

The Bogomils then would then eventually morph into Catharism, the Christian sect that flourished in the south of France during the 12th and 14th centuries.

Many of the remaining Thracian Paulicians or Bogomils would eventually convert to Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy by the 17th Century or convert to Islam at the time of the Ottoman conquests. Ethnically the Banat Bulgarians and the Pomaks are descended from these groups.

The Paulicians that were not deported to Thrace and remained in Armenia would later morph into the Tondrakian movement by the 10th century, which continued to exist in Armenia until the 1820s.

If the theory of Baptism successionism is to be accepted, then modern Baptists are descended theologically from Marcionites through the Paulician, Bogomil, and Cathar movements. All these historical sects supported the doctrine of credobaptism.

Historically, the Marcionite Church of Christ was in Apostolic succession.

Marcion of Sinope was a disciple of the Apostle John in Asia Minor. Marcion’s father, Philologus of Sinope, was not only one of the Seventy Disciples of Jesus Christ but was also consecrated as Bishop of Sinope by the Apostle Andrew. Philologus was also a companion and disciple of the Apostle Paul in Rome.

Marcion would succeed his father, Philologus, as the Bishop of Sinope.

For all these reasons, the original Marcionite Church of Christ could claim Apostolic succession from three apostles: Paul, John, and Andrew.

Unfortunately, that link has been broken due to millennia of discontinuity between the original Marcionite Church of Christ and the newly revived church.

The Marcionite Church of Christ does not view Apostolic succession as a necessary requirement for ordination. Still, we hope that one day, the church can be brought back into Apostolic succession.

Jesus’ ministry on Earth lasted a little over three years.

The Evangelicon has at least three references to three separate Passovers. Jesus’s first journey to Jerusalem, his second journey to Jerusalem, and finally, the Last Supper.

In addition, the Feast of Levi the Publican is believed to be a fourth reference to a Passover meal.

Utilizing these four Passover references, plus the dates of Jesus’ descent into Capernaum on November 24th, 29 C.E., which corresponds with a total solar eclipse, and his crucifixion on April 3rd, 33 C.E., which corresponds with a lunar eclipse, we arrive at a ministry that lasted three years, four months, and twelve days.

The creed of the Marcionite Church of Christ is simple and based on scripture: Jesus is Lord. 

Yes. The primary tenet and theological doctrine of the Marcionite Church of Christ is ‘Prima Sciptura‘ which is the doctrine that all Christian teachings should be based first and foremost on the scriptures. Marcionite Christianity believes that tradition, experience, and reason can nurture Christianity as long as they are in harmony with the scripture.

According to Marcion, God had not had any previous interactions with the world before Christ, and was wholly unknown. He wrote a work now lost entitled ‘Antithesis,’ in which he contrasted the Hebrew Bible with Christianity – the God of the one, with the deity of the other – the law with the gospel. He represented Christianity as a new system, abrogating the old, and as entirely disconnected from it.

Marcion’s thinking shows the influence of Hellenistic philosophy on Christianity, and presents a moral critique of the Hebrew Bible from the standpoint of Platonism.

The Old and New Testaments, Marcion argued, cannot be reconciled to each other. The code of conduct advocated by Moses was “an eye for an eye“, but Jesus set this precept aside. Marcion pointed to Isaiah “I make peace and create evil, I the Lord do all these things“. He contrasted this with Jesus’ saying that “a tree was known by its fruit; a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit” and then pointed to several injunctions and lessons in the Old Testament that the New Testament contradicts. For example, Elisha had children eaten by bears; Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me“. Joshua had the sun stopped in order to prolong the slaughter of his enemies. Paul quoted Jesus as commanding “Let not the sun go down on your wrath.” In the Old Testament, divorce was permitted and so was polygamy; in the New Testament, neither is allowed. Moses enforced the Jewish Sabbath and Jewish law; ; Jesus de-institutionalized both.

Even within the Hebrew Bible, Marcion found contradictions. The Hebrew Bible deity commanded that no work should be done on the Sabbath, yet he told the Israelites to carry the Ark of the Covenant around Jericho seven times on the Sabbath. No graven image was to be made, yet Moses was directed to fashion a bronze serpent. The deity revealed in the Hebrew Bible could not have been omniscient, otherwise, he would not have asked, “Adam where are you?”

In the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Hebrew Bible deity says “I will go down now, to see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come to me; and if not, I will know“; another instance of his uncertainty in ignorance.

Also, according to Genesis, Jacob even defeats the Hebrew Bible deity in a wrestling match.

Apelles was a disciple of Marcion. He wrote a book entitled ‘Syllogisms’, in which he attempted to show the falsity of various passages in the Hebrew Bible regarding God. The title of the book suggests that Apelles may have intended to build upon Marcion’s own book titled ‘Antithesis’, which set the Hebrew Bible and the Testamentum against each other.

Ambrose of Milan, in the 4th century, directs some of his comments in his work ‘De Paradiso‘ against Apelles. It is because of this we actually have direct quotes from Apelles’ ‘Syllogisms’.

Some of these fragments can be found below:

“Did God know that Adam would transgress his commandments, or did he not? If he did not know, this is no proclamation of divine power; but if he did know and still knowingly commanded things that would be neglected – it is not for God to command something superfluous. But he did command that first-formed Adam something superfluous, which he knew he would not actually observe. But God does nothing superfluous; therefore, the scripture does not come from God.” 

“Under no circumstances would it have been possible to bring aboard the Ark so many species of animals and their food, which was to last for a whole year, in such a short time. For if the impure animals are said to be led in two by two, that is, two males and two females of each, and the pure animals seven by seven, that is seven pairs, how should it have been possible that the space which is written about could even have held four elephants alone? Thus it is certain that the story is fabricated, and since this is the case, it is certain that this scripture is not of God.”

Sort of. In the Twentieth Century, the emergence of some significant studies on Marcion has led a variety of Christian thinkers to describe Marcion as the initiator of some important customs and features now found in the modern Christian Faith, particularly Protestantism, including an early version of the ‘faith only’ movement or ‘Sola Fide’; an early version of the theory of dispensationalism; the concept of ‘New Testament Christianity’; the New Testament itself, as a distinct body of inspired writings; and a version of ‘Prima Scriptura’, which is the doctrine that all Christian teachings should be based first and foremost on the scriptures. Marcionite Christianity believes that tradition, experience, and reason can nurture Christianity as long as they are in harmony with scripture.

It is for this reason that scholar Adolf von Harnack describes Marcion as the first Protestant.

No. There is no ‘secret knowledge’ involved in the Marcionite Church of Christ. Our beliefs are available for anyone to read in the Testamentum.

The evangelist Marcion was not a Gnostic as claimed by his enemies, but he was a well-educated evangelist engaged in evangelizing the Gentiles in the Roman-controlled countries, especially those bordering the Mediterranean.

He brought more converts to Christianity than any other preacher during the 2^nd Century.

He was well-educated in the scriptures. Even some of those who so drastically opposed him said he was a “man of letters”.

A primary difference between Marcionite Christians and Gnostics was that the Gnostics based their theology on secret works of which they claimed to be in possession, whereas Marcion based his theology on the contents of Paul’s Epistles and the recorded sayings of Jesus — in other words, an argument from scripture. Marcion did not rely on secret visitations or mysterious documents in order to validate his teaching.

Marcion was a man who was determined all by the canon and Marcion’s use of the Christian canon brings him closer to the scripture-oriented Christianity of the great councils than it does to the myth-oriented Gnostics.

Marcion sponsored an open Christianity that met in churches. The Gnostic affinity or group identity was a secret bond that transcended the local Christian congregations. Marcion preached the Gospel to all, while the Gnostics gloried their elite status by carefully guarding the deepest of their inspired secrets.

Marcion had a practical and ethical interest. The Gnostic interest was philosophical and argumentative.

Love, for the Gnostics, was generally only their conscious desire to return to the Highest Heaven, in company with their friends. Marcion recognized Christ’s great mission as a journey of compassion to this lost world. Loving our enemies is the heart of the Gospel.

Even under secular definitions, the Marcionite Christians are not considered to be Gnostics as we see in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica article on Marcion:

“It was no mere school for the learned, disclosed no mysteries for the privileged, but sought to lay the foundation of the Christian community on the pure gospel, the authentic institutes of Christ. The pure gospel, however, Marcion found to be everywhere more or less corrupted and mutilated in the Christian circles of his time. His undertaking thus resolved itself into a reformation of Christendom. This reformation was to deliver Christendom from false Jewish doctrines by restoring the Pauline conception of the gospel, Paul being, according to Marcion, the only apostle who had rightly understood the new message of salvation as delivered by Christ. In Marcion’s own view, therefore, the founding of his church—to which he was first driven by opposition—amounts to a reformation of Christendom through a return to the gospel of Christ and to Paul; nothing was to be accepted beyond that. This of itself shows that it is a mistake to reckon Marcion among the Gnostics.” 

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church also puts the question of Marcionite Christian association with Gnosticism to rest with:

“It is clear that he would have had little sympathy with their mythological speculations.”

No. Docetism is the heterodox doctrine that the phenomenon of Jesus, his historical and bodily existence, and above all, the human form of Jesus, was a mere semblance without any true reality. Broadly it is taken as the belief that Jesus only seemed to be human and that his human form was an illusion.

There is no credible evidence that Marcion was a docetist. Marcion’s alleged belief that Christ was a phantom is found in accusations made by Tertullian, but these accusations are a form of reductio ad absurdum and not firsthand information on Marcion’s Christology. There are, in fact, remnants of data in Tertullian’s Adversus Marcionem, which point to Marcion’s teaching about the material flesh of Christ, a flesh that suffers and dies on the cross. Tertullian dismisses these artifacts as proof that Marcion was simply foolishly inconsistent. Today, scholars should no longer accept Tertullian’s caricature uncritically, especially in light of the overwhelming amount of other second and third-century sources that are unanimously silent about any docetic thinking in Marcion.

Docetism is not a belief supported by the Testamentum and is broadly refuted by Marcion’s disciple Apelles.

According to the early Christian writer Rhodo, Apelles rejected the docetic accusations that were leveled against Marcion. Apelles preached that Jesus did possess true human flesh, but he simply denied that Jesus was born of human parents. The Testamentum lacks a birth or nativity narrative for Jesus, the Virgin Mary is never mentioned, and it opens with Jesus’ descent from Heaven into Capernaum. Apelles reaffirmed the Marcionite Christian belief that Jesus descended directly from Heaven to the Earth and rejected the idea of the virgin birth of Jesus.

Ultimately, many of the allegations of Marcionite Christian theological doctrines are largely false due to most of the sources being hostile and opposed to the Marcionite Christians.

“But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a phantom. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.”

Evangelicon 24:36-42

No. Marcionite Christians are not dualists in any sense other than the fact that the Testamentum contains some dualistic elements. Namely, Satan is the adversary of man and God.

Marcion’s disciple Apelles rebuked the charges of dualism against Marcionite Christians. Apelles reaffirmed the belief in only one Supreme God, the Father of Christ.

Dualism refers to the belief that God and creation are distinct, but interrelated.

Apelles stated that the Marcionite Christian belief was not a dualistic belief of two distinct Gods, one for the Old Testament and one for the New Testament, but rather that the deity depicted in the Hebrew Bible was false and that the Hebrew Bible was without any divine inspiration or religious significance to Christians, largely consisting of fables, contradictions, and failed prophecies with only some historical or moral relevance. In the Testamentum it is confirmed that God first revealed himself through Christ.

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

2 Corinthians 4:4

The phrase “god of this world” is a reference to Satan and indicates that Satan is the most significant influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes, and views of the majority of people. His influence also encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations, and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions.

Satan is also called the “prince of the power of the air” in Laodiceans 2:2.

These titles and many more signify Satan’s capabilities. To say, for example, that Satan is the “prince of the power of the air” is to signify that, in some way, he rules over the world and the people in it.

This is not to say that Satan rules the world completely; God is still sovereign. But it does mean that God, in His infinite wisdom, has allowed Satan to operate in this world within the boundaries God has set for him. When the Testamentum says Satan has power over the world, we must remember that God has given him domain over unbelievers only. Believers are no longer under the rule of Satan.

So, when the Apostle says that Satan is the “god of this world,” he is not saying that he has ultimate authority. He is conveying the idea that Satan rules over the unbelieving world in a specific way. Satan’s scheme includes promoting false philosophies in the world—philosophies that blind the unbeliever to the truth of the Gospel. Satan’s philosophies are the fortresses in which people are imprisoned, and they must be set free by Christ.

Marcionite Christianity teaches that moral evil is the result of disobedience to God. You do not need an evil demiurge or dualistic worldview to explain moral evil.

Moral evil is evil that is caused by human activity, such as murder, rape, theft, hatred, and jealousy. These are all moral evils. When people, created in the image of God, choose to act in defiance of God, the result is moral evil. Moral evil can also be linked to inaction—to ignore a cry for help is a moral evil.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

Romans 4:12

The result of this cumulative disobedience is the evil that we see in the world today and the suffering caused by that moral evil, not by God.

The violence, immorality, and hatred in the world are caused by man’s unwillingness to love and obey God and love his neighbor as himself.  If you could trace every moral evil in this world to its root, you would find sins as the true causes of man’s suffering.

God does not remove moral evil because it is the direct result of man’s choice. To remove moral evil is to remove choice, and to remove choice is to eliminate man as a free-thinking, independent, and eternal being. You cannot be an eternal being if you do not possess free will. You need free will in order to be eternal. For this reason, then, God uses the moral evil in the world to teach mankind lessons about good, things man once knew but lost because of sin.

A being without free will is not a being made in the image of God. Man must be able to glorify God by willfully and freely obeying God. The worship of God requires free will because worship that is automated is no worship at all. It is an insult to God. In order to be in the image of God, therefore, man had to be created with the ability to exercise his free will.

The problem of moral evil and sin was taken care of by the cross, and the problem of death was overcome by Jesus’ resurrection. Evil exists now. Evil creates suffering now. Evil leads to death now. However, God has dealt with evil, suffering, and death by offering us forgiveness for the moral evil that we do and hope for a life with God where will be no evil or suffering.

Imagine if there was no possibility of forgiveness for the moral evil that we all commit? God has provided a measure of relief from the suffering we experience, as well as support and reassurance while we go through our various trials. He has given us His word. Has given us His Spirit. These are the things that sustain us in our suffering. He has also given us the promise of resurrection and eternal life after death, and these have been confirmed by the resurrection of Jesus and offered to everyone through the Gospel.

We are insignificant, and it seems that we don’t have much influence in stopping the moral evil in this world. However, the good news is that God has given each of us the power to stop the effects of moral evil in our own lives through Jesus Christ. We mitigate the moral evil in the world by first removing it from our own lives through Christ and then lessening its impact on every soul we bring to Christ through the Gospel.

So what is the Marcionite Christian solution to the problem of natural evil?

First, what is natural evil? Natural evil is one that causes pain and suffering to humanity but which is not due to direct human involvement, as is the case with moral evil. Congenital diseases, tsunamis, earthquakes, drought, and famine are all cases of natural evil. There is no morality involved in such events.

Some see natural evil as a real obstacle to belief in an omnipotent, benevolent God. They say that, if a human being allowed or did the kinds of things that God does or allows, then that person would be morally evil. If it would be wrong for a human being to do these things, why are they not wrong for God?

Firstly. God does not answer to us, but we must answer to God:

“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Romans 12:12

God alone holds the power of life and death. It would be wrong for a person to kill because human beings do not have that prerogative. God, on the other hand, does. He is the creator and giver of life, and God can withdraw that gift when, and in what manner God chooses.

We have all sinned:

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Romans 3:23

And thus, we all deserve the death penalty:

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:23

The mere fact that God allows any of us to live is a sign of God’s grace and forbearance.

Natural evil is also a result of human sin. The Apostle Paul tells us that all of creation is currently suffering, waiting for the time when it can be set free:

“For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”

Romans 7:20–22

Broadly speaking, natural evil is God’s judgment of humanity.

In addition, it should be noted that natural evil is exacerbated by human sin. When there is a disaster, there are often many examples of people working and giving sacrificially and heroically in order to help alleviate suffering. Unfortunately, there will also be many examples of people acting in selfish and cowardly ways to the detriment of those around them.

Ultimately, the only hope for people in a world filled with natural evil is Jesus Christ. He does not promise escape from the natural evil in this world. In fact, Jesus promises that his followers will experience it. Jesus also promises that believers will have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God in which there is no evil or suffering of any kind. The created order will be restored to its original balance, eliminating natural evil, and the people will be conformed to the image of Christ, thus eliminating moral evil.

And so, natural evil exists in this world, and it causes great suffering. This is an undeniable fact. However, the mere existence of natural evil does not mean that God ignores it or that God is not active in dealing with and responding to the natural evil in the world.

But couldn’t God have created a world without evil? Let’s take a look at a few of the options. If God had not created anything, there would be no evil. But is nothing better than something? Hardly. This would be a world without morality. What if God created a world where people could not choose? God could force everyone to stop before they were able to carry out evil behavior. But is such a world where freedom does not exist good?

God knows best, and, as such, God knows that our world is the best way to the best possible world. Yes, there will be evil and suffering along the way. We can rejoice with the Apostle Paul when he wrote:

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Romans 8:18. 

So now that we know why there is evil in the world, how are we to respond to the suffering from that evil?

The Apostle Paul himself suffered much for Christ’s sake, yet he seemed to embrace, not resist this suffering. For this reason, Paul can teach us much about suffering—its causes, its rewards, its effects, and our responses, among other things.

1. Suffering is evidence that we belong to God.
2. Suffering leads to hope.
3. Suffering results in more and more people giving glory to God.
4. God is sovereign over our suffering.
5. We are not alone in our suffering.

Most importantly, we discover that, though suffering is necessary and normal, its rewards are rich, and its resulting joy everlasting.

Firstly, the Apostle Paul taught that suffering leads to hope. Suffering grows in us a deeper hope, a hope for the unseen, a hope for things that will last forever.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Romans 4:1-5

The Apostle Paul also taught that God permitted him and other Christians to bear sufferings beyond their strength and endurance in order to teach them to trust more in God:

“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.”

II Corinthians 1:8-11

God rules over everything. That is the Apostle Paul’s point in the verse often quoted to sufferers:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Romans 7:28

Unfortunately, Christians sometimes forget that God’s idea of what is good may differ from ours.

For example, the Apostle Paul prayed that God would remove a “thorn in the flesh,” some type of unidentified suffering (II Corinthians 12:7-8).

God answered Paul’s prayer by telling him:

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”

I Corinthians 12:9

In other words, God denied Paul’s request to remove the suffering because he knew that Paul’s weakness would be good for Paul, for others, and for his own glory.

The Apostle Paul further taught that God comforts us in our suffering so that we might comfort others. As Paul explained:

“Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

II Corinthians 1:4

Those who have wandered the same wilderness of suffering often have a unique power to bring comfort to others in their situation. In such situations, the comforters become grateful for the suffering they have experienced because it allows them to minister to another hurting person.

The Apostle Paul said that all of creation endures the suffering of this fallen world alongside us:

“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”

Romans 8:22

Disease, death, and decay are all part of living in this world until Christ returns to make things new.

The good news, the Apostle Paul reminded us, is that:

“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”

Philippians 4:5

That is, Jesus is close to us in our suffering, and he is soon coming to restore all broken things.

Jesus tells us very clearly that Satan is a fallen angel:

“And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fallen from heaven.”

Evangelicon 9:18

This came after the 70 disciples returned to Jesus excited that they had authority over devils in Jesus’ name, but Jesus let them know that this should not have been surprising to them. Satan had already fallen from heaven, and he had no authority over Jesus, the Son of God. Because Jesus sent the disciples out in his authority, this meant that they also had his authority over the demonic realm. Jesus equipped his disciples with his power and protection.

“Behold, I give unto you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Evangelicon 9:19

Even better than the authority the disciples have in Christ, Jesus points out, is their salvation. Salvation is the greatest cause that we all have for joy:

“Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in the heavens.”

Evangelicon 9:20

Until Jesus returns and overthrows the kingdom of darkness once and for all, believers will face an ongoing spiritual battle against the evil forces at work in the world. God has given us the power and authority we need to resist Satan and devils:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” 

Laodiceans 6:10-18

Yes. The reality is that Marcionite Christians were one of the first openly ‘Trinitarian’ Christian groups, long before the concept of the ‘Trinity’ was affirmed by the ecumenical councils. It was a disciple of Marcion and a contemporary of Apelles, Syneros, who affirmed the trinitarian beliefs of Marcionite Christians in his belief of the ‘three natures’, which was an early conceptualization of the formal theological doctrine of the Trinity.

The three elements of the Trinity are found in scripture: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit.

Further, Augustine of Hippo claimed that Marcion baptized his converts “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

This is further reinforced by the fact that Marcionite baptisms were accepted as valid by other churches, as can be seen from certain voices during the third-century Baptismal controversy.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” 

Evangelicon 24:55

Yes. The doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus is so well accepted and cherished by most Christians that it has become a criterion for membership in most Christian organizations. All those who would dare to question it are generally held in contempt. The Gospel of Mark, most bible scholars tell us, is the earliest of all the other gospels.  We find nothing in this gospel about the birth of Jesus or of his childhood.  The opening statement in the Gospel of Mark is much closer to the Marcionite Christian Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in the first canon of the Christian Bible that was transcribed, compiled, and canonized by Marcion of Sinope. Likewise, the Gospel of John, we are told, is the most recent of the four gospels. We also find nothing in this gospel about the birth of Jesus or of his childhood. The writers or editors of these gospels either had no knowledge of the virgin birth of Jesus or thought it was not noteworthy enough to mention.

The other two Gospels of Matthew, and Luke, both mention the birth of Jesus. The traditional nativity stories are taken from these two gospels. The details of the nativity stories in these gospels are very different and are even in conflict with each other. Both seem to indicate this child was not conceived in the normal human way, but rather by an intervention of God’s Spirit; thus it is a contradiction to give a physical genealogy of Jesus through Joseph, as both gospels do, if the Holy Spirit and not Joseph was his father. Most mainstream Christians seem to ignore this contradiction altogether, pretending it doesn’t exist.

The myth of the virgin birth was not first with Christianity, but some early Christians stole it from non-Christian religions. In the Hindu religion, the god Vishnu had an incarnate Son, Chrishna, by a virgin birth. This was about 1156 B.C.E. It is also interesting to note, at his birth, there was a special star in the sky, there were shepherds, and the local king, out of jealousy, slaughtered infants. The myth of a virgin birth of other gods are the Buddha, the Egyptian god Horus, the Roman savior Quarrnus, the Greek deity Adonis, and the Persian god Mithra who was born on December 25th.

So when did Christianity begin to believe and teach that Jesus was virgin born? It seems to have been shortly after the first Christian missionaries returned from India. This was sometime shortly after the turn of the first century. Having learned of the birth story of the Hindu god Chrishna, these early Christian missionaries felt the Son of God they worshipped should also have these credentials. This is why they adopted the Hindu story, with some variations, including the star, the shepherds, and a king whose jealousy motivated him to murder infants. They stole the birth story of Jesus from the Hindus.

It still stands that there is no solid evidence of any virgin birth stories of Jesus that came out of the 1st century AD.  The first allusion to a virgin birth was by Ignatius in 115 C.E. There is no record of the four Gospels, as we now have them until mentioned by Irenaeus in 190 AD. If this subject were investigated from all available sources, not just one-sided history, one would see at once the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, were developed during the 2nd century using some 1st-century material. At this time, the Church in Rome took liberties to edit and even insert passages into the scriptures.

So, in conclusion, the teaching of the virgin birth of Christ is an unfounded fable, a myth that was invented and placed in the Gospels. This doctrine developed during the 2nd century. The virgin birth is a fable that was borrowed from pagan religions, and the convoluted supposed genealogy of Jesus was added to tie him to Hebrew Bible prophecies and Davidic lineage. One should not be required to commit intellectual suicide in believing a lie in order to be a Christian.

It’s what Jesus accomplished at the cross that is all-important. The Christian faith is founded upon the death and resurrection of Christ, not his birth. The Christian faith either stands or falls on the fact of the resurrection of Christ.

“Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” 

Alexandrians 8:3

So if Jesus was not born to Mary and Joseph, then why did he call himself ‘Jesus’? Well, the name Jesus is a derivative of the Hebrew name Yeshua which literally means ‘to rescue,’ ‘to save,’ or ‘salvation.’

These are all things that Jesus was sent to do. He was sent for the salvation of all people and all nations.

So while we may never fully know or understand the workings of the divine since we are simple mortals, we can use our logic to deduce that Jesus gave himself a name that would be readily understood by the masses to whom he preached while also having symbolic value to reflect his mission on Earth.

So why, of all the places on Earth, did Jesus decide to descend to a small fishing village in Galilee?

We may never fully know or understand the workings of the divine since we are simple mortals; we can still use our logic to reason or deduce.

Jesus may have chosen to descend into Galilee, and preach there, in Samaria, and Judea, because this was the primary or even only area of the world at that time that practiced a form of monotheism and thus should have had the easiest time accepting Jesus and his message.

In addition, Jesus may have chosen to descend to the land west of the Jordan River in response to the preaching by John the Baptist.

“For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Evangelicon 5:29

The Jews and Samaritans generally believed in an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and incorporeal deity. These are all characteristics of God the Father, who first revealed himself to the world during the Transfiguration of Jesus.

Ultimately, however, these are mere guesses; the focus of our faith should always be on the teachings of Jesus first and foremost.

No. The Jewish Messiah is to be a warrior, a bearer of arms, and mighty in the art of war.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has already come, is far different from the Jewish Messiah.

The difference between our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the Jewish Messiah, is that the Jewish Messiah was sent for the restoration of a single nation alone from its dispersion, while our Lord Jesus Christ was sent for the liberation of the whole human race, for the salvation of all nations.

Isaiah’s description of the Jewish Messiah at no point suits our Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah’s Jewish Messiah is to be called Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14); then, he takes the riches of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria against the King of Assyria (Isaiah 8:4).

Our Lord Jesus Christ was neither born under such a name nor ever engaged in such war-like enterprises.

Our Lord Jesus Christ had never been foretold, certainly not in the Hebrew Bible. The suffering on the cross was not predicted for the Jewish Messiah; moreover, it should not be believed that the deity depicted in the Hebrew Bible would expose his Messiah to that kind of death on which he himself had pronounced a curse:

“And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”

Deuteronomy 21:22-23

Marcion taught that Christ was the sudden savior, who descended down from Heaven in the form of a fully mature human, snatched believers from the bondage of the Law, and then he ascended back to Heaven. He was not the Messiah of Jewish expectations. Marcion and his followers did not subject themselves to the Torah or any of the Jewish practices. Marcion’s Testamentum did not in any way tie the prophecies of the Hebrew Bible to Christ or to the church and its teachings.

Yes. The idea of Christian independence from Judaism was first popularized by Marcion. Catholicism, in response, grew in many ways to counter that thinking. Many theological modifications would be made in the Catholic Church until much of the simplicity evident in Marcion’s day became either obscured or entirely lost. By keeping the law about Jewish monotheism as its chief doctrine, as is attested in the creeds, Catholicism opened the door to regain various other features borrowed from the religion of the Hebrew Bible. By following the pattern of ancient Israel, Catholicism began to augment its hierarchy, its ritualism, and its animosity towards independent thinkers.

Before Marcion, Christianity was often viewed as indistinguishable from Judaism. Marcion’s effort called for a clear distinction. Afterward, the Judaizers became isolated, so they had to take an independent course. This was predictable because its strong Jewish anchor made it totally incompatible with Marcion’s idea of “New Testament” Christianity.

Prior to Marcion’s revival of Paul’s theology, Christianity was much identified with Judaism. At that time, many Christians simply used the Hebrew Bible as scripture. After Marcion openly published the Testamentum in Rome, there arose four great divisions in Christianity. These groups were denominated: the Gnostics, the Catholics, the Judaizers, and the Marcionite Christians.

“Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.”

Titus 1:13

Yes. Marcionite Christianity claims no descent or affiliation with Abraham or his supposed covenant.

No. Nor are any such views reflected in the Testamentum. Just as other religions don’t put Christian scriptures in their religious books we don’t include theirs in ours. Although we pray that they turn to Christ and are saved we have no interest in their theology or deities.

Yes. The Marcionite Church rejected all the ecumenical councils. Only adhering to the pre-ecumenical Apostolic Council of Jerusalem of 48 C.E., which is the only such council referenced in scripture and the only council presided over by the Apostles themselves.

The Apostolic Council of Jerusalem declared that Christians were not to keep any Jewish fasts, and other specific rituals, including the rules concerning the circumcision of males. The Council did, however, retain the prohibitions on abstaining from things sacrificed to idols, eating blood, meat containing blood, and meat of animals that were strangled, and on fornication and idolatry. These prohibitions are sometimes referred to as the Apostolic Decree.

Yes. Marcionite Christians believe in creationism; we believe that God is the absolute creator of Heaven and Earth and life itself. We, however, do reject the creation myth as depicted in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. We do not believe the Earth was created in 6 days or that the Earth is only a few thousand years old. Our belief in Prima Scriptura means that where answers are lacking in scripture, we can turn to our own human reason and logic; therefore, we defer to science on the finer details of creation while still retaining our belief that, ultimately, God created the universe.

“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Colossians 1:15-17

Yes. Sola Fide, meaning justification by faith alone, asserts that it is on the basis of faith that believers are made right of their transgressions of God rather than on the basis of what the Apostle Paul calls “works of the law“, sometimes called ‘good works‘.  These good works are seen to be evidence of faith, but the works themselves do not determine salvation.

“And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”

Evangelicon 5:51

Yes. The theory of ‘dispensationalism‘ maintains that history is divided into multiple ‘dispensations‘ in which God acts in multiple different ways. The Marcionite Christian version of dispensationalism is simply that God the Father never revealed himself or interacted with humanity prior to the arrival of Jesus Christ in 29 C.E.

Marcionite Christians strive to return to the purest and most original form of Christianity. In doing so, we utilize the ‘Chi Rho,’ the earliest known record of a Christogram, as our primary symbol. The Chi Rho formed by superimposing the first two capital letters—chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek word ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Christos) in such a way that the vertical stroke of the rho intersects the center of the chi. The Alpha and Omega symbols never flank the Marcionite Christian Chi Rho, as this is a reference to the non-canonical Book of Revelations. Our use of the Chi Rho over the typical cross reflects our uniqueness among other Christian denominations because there are few extant examples of the cross in  2nd-century Christian iconography. It has been argued that early Christians were reluctant to use it as it depicts a purposely painful and gruesome method of public execution. During the first three centuries of the Christian era, the cross was a symbol of minor importance when compared to the prominence given to it later. However, we do not reject or prohibit using a Cross or Crucifix in any way, shape, or form. Our only restriction of Christian iconography and symbolism is that it is based on the scripture found in the Testamentum. Ultimately, the Chi Rho attempts to reflect our order of priority in faith – the resurrection is far more critical than the physical death.

Yes. While the theological views of the Marcionite Church of Christ are very much out of step with the prevailing orthodoxy of most Christian denominations we still firmly believe that we should work together to develop closer relationships among other churches and promote Christian unity.

Yes. Circumcision is carnal mutilation and a barbaric practice. We prohibit it along with all other forms of mutilation of the flesh.

The womb is sacred. Killing an innocent child in the womb is murder.

“…Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts which thou didst suck.”

Evangelicon 10:27

Marriage, otherwise known as the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, is always between one man and one woman. We reject and prohibit same-sex marriage and polygamy of any form.

“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”

Alexandrians 14:2

We do not allow or recognize any divorce between two properly baptized Christians. We do, however, recognize the Pauline privilege, allowing for the dissolution of the marriage of two persons who, at the time the marriage occurred, did not have a proper credobaptism via triple immersion and then sealed by Chrismation or Confirmation. Divorce otherwise is akin to adultery and is prohibited.

“And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.”

1 Corinthians 7:10–15

No. We only fear God. If you have homosexual thoughts you should pray. You are not guilty of any sin unless you act on those thoughts.

The Testamentum was assembled and transcribed by Marcion of Sinope, sometime between 120 C.E. and 140 C.E.; this was the first codified Christian Biblical canon, almost 300 years before the compilation of the standard Biblical canon used by most mainline Christian denominations today.

According to scholar Wolfram Kinzig, Marcion called his Bible the Testamentum which is Latin for “Testament”.

The Testamentum was not divided into ‘Old’ and ‘New’ testaments like the modern Bible and was dramatically shorter.

The distinction between ‘Old’ and ‘New’ testaments only started around 170 C.E. when Melito of Sardis coined those terms. This was done as a direct response to the teachings of Marcion.

The Testamentum was divided into two parts, the gospel (or Evangelicon) and the original ten Epistles of Paul (or Apostolicon).

Marcion’s canon rejected the entire 46-book ‘Old’ Testament, along with all other epistles and gospels of what would become the 27-book ‘New’ Testament canon, which during his life had yet to be compiled.

When the Testamentum was transcribed and canonized in 130 C.E. there was only the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ – the revelation given directly to Paul the Apostle by Jesus that he preached throughout the known world.

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

Galatians 1:8-9

These gospels were written and published well after the Testamentum, some even using unknown authors, they are not divinely inspired, and they have no bearing on our faith beyond providing some historical insights. Although many biblical scholars and theologians now speculate they are simply edited and expanded, versions of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ created to form a confusing and imaginary tapestry between the Hebrew Bible and Christianity. Paul the Apostle warned us of such possibilities:

“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel…”

Galatians 1:6

Irenaeus of Lyon, writing against Marcion, was part of the scramble to create an authoritative canon to counter Marcion and to define the faith. His dubious criteria for choosing just four gospels out of the dozens floating around at his time gave us the canonical “Jesus” as we know him. As he said, there can only be four gospels because there are four winds or four directions of the compass, which seems a bit tenuous as a means of weeding out other gospels. None of the four chosen can make a strong case for apostolicity. All except for the expanded Luke are anonymous. All four gospels began to get traction in Catholic thought in the decades after Marcion, because they taught that Jesus was the Messiah of Judaism, and that’s the lynchpin that made Christianity the successor of Judaism. But the acceptance of apostolicity for all of them, as well as the epistles, is a matter of faith, supposedly. Faith in what? Church Tradition.

The popularity of the Marcionite Christian Evangelicon or Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was so widespread that the so-called ‘canonical’ gospels needed to include explicitly anti-Marcionite prologues at the beginnings of their texts.

These are short introductions to the gospels of Mark, Luke, and John. It is not known whether a prologue for Matthew’s Gospel ever existed. These prologues were named by biblical scholar, Donatien de Bruyne, who claimed that they were written to oppose the teaching of Marcion. However, specific statements regarding Marcion of Sinope are only found in the prologue to John’s Gospel.

The prologues were probably originally written in Greek, although the prologues to Mark and John are only found in Latin. The earliest manuscript containing all three prologues is from the eighth century. It appears that they were originally circulated separately. Scholars estimate their original writing was between the second and fourth centuries. They support the standard church traditions concerning the authorship of the gospels.

The Marcionite Church of Christ considers all ‘New Testament’ books not found in the Testamentum (Including the Antilegomenon) to be apocryphal. They lack any divine inspiration and have only limited historical, ethical, or theological significance.

No. The Testamentum remains unchanged and has always consisted of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the original Pauline Epistles of Galatians, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Romans, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Laodiceans (Ephesians), Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. One gospel and the original ten epistles. By contrast, the ‘modern bible’ contains four gospels and 73 books added over the course of hundreds of years.

Yes. The Hebrew Bible and the carnal deity portrayed within it, are antithetical to the words and teachings of Jesus Christ – the proof is self-evident. It represents views diametrically opposed to the God revealed to us through Jesus Christ and the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

According to the first Christians, including Peter, Paul, and James at the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem in 48 C.E., God was revealed through Jesus Christ, not the Hebrew Bible – which depicts a tribal religion, deity, culture, and set of laws that are alien to Christianity and its canon.

Marcion confirmed this rejection of the Hebrew Bible, not considering it of any authority after the coming of Christ. Marcion believed that the Hebrew Bible was false and that the Hebrew Bible was without any divine inspiration or religious significance to Christians, largely consisting of fables, contradictions, and failed prophecies with only some historical or moral relevance.

Marcion was the first to reaffirm that the new covenant represented a separate and new religion. He is, in this sense, the father of “New Testament” Christianity. His complete break with the Jewish epic and refusal to see Christianity as the inheritor and fulfillment of that continuing epic was a direct challenge to the Catholic Church.

Marcion did not teach that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah as prophesized in the Hebrew Bible. The prophecies concerning the Messiah in the Hebrew Bible refer very clearly to an earthly political figure, not a cosmic redeemer.

Marcion taught instead that Jesus was a spiritual entity that was sent by God to reveal the truth about existence.

Marcion held that the deity depicted in the Hebrew Bible was inconsistent, jealous, wrathful, genocidal, and wholly incompatible with the teachings of Christ.

“Think not that I am come to fulfil the law, or the prophets: I am not come to fulfil, but to destroy.”

Evangelicon 14:16

Jesus taught primarily with parables, allegories, and metaphors. Any references to the Hebrew Bible in the Testamentum are simply didactic. You can cite something and use it as a reference point without believing it is divinely inspired. Further, you can recognize there are some ethical and moral teachings from a book while not believing that the book is divinely inspired. In the cases where Jesus or Paul references the Hebrew Bible, it is either to refute it or show where it holds some truth. The people whom Jesus preached to were largely Jewish; thus, referencing the Hebrew Bible was a useful way to convey ideas and teachings in a way that the people would readily understand and relate to.

“And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.”

Evangelicon 2:53

Jesus makes an allegorical reference to the story of Naaman the Syrian as an example of the will of God to save people who are considered by men as less than pious and unworthy of salvation.

Naaman was the commander of the army of Aram-Damascus, who had attacked the Kingdom of Samaria. Not only was he a Gentile—a non-Jewish person—he was a hated enemy of the people. Despite this, Naaman is healed of leprosy. Rather than bringing miraculous healing to an Israelite, God supposedly bestowed it on a hostile pagan.

Jesus’ reason for making these comments is to counter the people’s implied demand: That he perform the miracles that he did elsewhere for them in Nazareth. At this time in history, the Jews of Galilee were ruled by the Gentiles of the Roman Empire. Any hint that God would look favorably on Gentiles was met with resistance or even violence. This is exactly what happens here in Nazareth:

“And they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way to Capernaum.” 

Evangelicon 2:54-56

This reference to the Hebrew Bible by Jesus was not implying that the story of Naaman the Syrian actually happened, it was simply referencing a known story to impart a moral teaching.

The Ten Commandments are a basic moral code that any civilized society would follow, regardless if they believe they inherited them from Moses on Mount Sinai and are divinely inspired.

All the simple and moral commandments of God are found in numerous places within the Testamentum, including the following verse:

“For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Romans 11:9

This verse also covers the ‘Golden Rule’ or ‘Great Commandment’, forming the core of the Christian faith.

Marcionite Christians do not need the Hebrew Bible’s 613 commandments, most of which are completely nonsensical and have nothing to do with living a moral and just life.

No. We do not believe that Yahweh exists. Yahweh is a false god like many other invented deities throughout history, such as Zeus or Thor.

The Marcionite Christians only recognized one gospel as legitimate; it was called the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ or the Evangelicon. This was the first gospel narrative ever written and was penned by Paul the Apostle. Paul is the author of the Evangelicon and made references to it in his Epistles. This gospel is never described by Marcionite Christians as the ‘Gospel of Marcion’ which is a description concocted by critics of Marcion much later in order to claim Marcion forged or fabricated the gospel. If any single person could be ascribed to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ it is Paul the Apostle. In that sense, the term ‘Gospel of Paul’ is a far more accurate description but still not historical. The Evangelicon is similar to the Gospel of Luke but also includes many verses found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John.  The Gospel of Luke’s account of the baptism of Jesus and the Prodigal Son was also absent. Like the Gospel of Mark, the Evangelicon lacked any nativity story.

Irenaeus, in Against Heresies, quoted what is typically referred to as the ‘Prologue of John’ and used it to critique the supposed theological views of Marcion and his followers.

Adolf von Harnack believed this reference by Irenaeus was simply indicating that Marcion might have known of the prologue.

However, one can turn that same argument around and argue that Irenaeus is attacking Marcionite Christians because the Evangelicon opened with the 1st chapter of the Gospel of John. Why else does someone cite texts against a “heretic” unless that supposed “heretic” was using those same texts?

No. A gospel harmony is an attempt to compile the canonical gospels into a single account. The earliest known harmony is the Diatessaron by Tatian in the 2nd century.

The Evangelicon is not a compilation or merging of the canonical gospels but rather the first gospel narrative from which all the canonical gospels ultimately derive.

The bulk of the Evangelicon closely resembles the Gospel of Luke. Still, many passages within the Evangelicon also resemble passages not found in the Gospel of Luke but rather are parallel passages from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John.

Conversely, unlike a Gospel Harmony, many passages from the canonical gospels are either missing, shortened, or altered in the Evangelicon. These passages were later interpolated and expanded upon to ultimately take their current form in the canonical gospels.

In this way the term “Super Gospel” to describe the Evangelicon is more appropriate.

Ultimately the canonical fourfold gospel was advanced as reaction to the singular gospel of the Marcionite Christians.

The word ‘Apostolicon’ means ‘that which presents the Apostle’, and the word ‘apostle’ means ‘one who is sent.’ The Apostle Paul was sent by the Lord Jesus to preach the Gospel to all of creation.

The Apostle Paul was also called to “fill full” the word of God. This he did when he finished writing all his Epistles. You see, only in the Epistles of Paul do you find the claim that they are scripture, or the word of God.

Marcion was the first person to collect Paul’s writings to the various early churches, assembling and organizing the Pauline Epistles into a single body of work known as the Apostolicon around 120 C.E. The first record of the Epistles of Paul in Rome was from 138 C.E. brought there by Marcion. The Apostolicon would be canonized and joined with the Evangelicon around 130 C.E. to form the first Christian Bible, the Testamentum.

The Apostolicon originally consisted of the following: Galatians, I Corinthians, II Corinthians, Romans, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, Laodiceans (Ephesians), Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Marcion’s original Apostolicon did not include the Pastoral Epistles or the Epistle to the Alexandrians (Hebrews). Modern scholars have concluded that these epistles are either pseudographical forgeries or heavily interpolated.

According to a late Catholic tradition, Marcion was a disciple of the Apostle John. Marcion, after compiling and transcribing most of the Pauline Epistles, is said to have delivered the texts to John the Apostle. This tradition sought to explain how it could be possible that the Catholic Church had a need for a “heretic” to obtain the writings of the Apostle Paul.

Interestingly historian Joseph Turmel notes that the fourth non-synoptic gospel, the Gospel of John, strongly reflects the doctrines of Marcion; further, none of the Epistles of John reference the Old Testament.

The estimated dates for when the Apostle Paul penned his epistles are as follows:

• Galatians – 48 C.E.
• First Corinthians- 50 C.E.
• Second Corinthians – 51 C.E.
• Romans – 52 C.E.
• First Thessalonians – 53 C.E.
• Second Thessalonians – 54 C.E.
• Laodiceans – 55 C.E.
• Colossians – 56 C.E.
• Philippians – 57 C.E.
• Philemon – 57 C.E.
• Alexandrians – 63 C.E.
• First Timothy – 63 C.E.
• Second Timothy – 64 C.E.
• Titus – 66 C.E.

The Marcionite Church of Christ believes that if any lost epistles of Paul are one day discovered and proven to be genuine, they should be included in the Apostolicon.

These may include:

1. A first, or “zeroth”, epistle to Corinth, possibly referenced in I Corinthians 5:9.
2. A third epistle to Corinth, written between I and II Corinthians, also called the Severe Letter, is referenced in II Corinthians 2:4 and II Corinthians 7:8-9.
3. An earlier epistle to the Laodiceans referenced in Laodiceans 3:3-4.

In addition, if any epistles which are currently considered pseudographical are eventually determined to be genuine or earlier non-interloped manuscripts for these works are found, the Marcionite Church of Christ would consider them for inclusion into the Apostolicon.

The Prologues to the Pauline Epistles, which are not a part of the text, but short introductory sentences as one might find in modern-day Bible study guides, are so-called because it is generally believed that they originated in Marcionite Christian circles. They are to be found in some of the manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate, specifically the Codex Fuldensis. Modern scholarship generally admits Marcionite Christian origin and explains their appearance in the Latin Vulgate as the result of Marcion or Marcionite Christian teachers in Rome during the second century who translated the Greek epistles of Paul into Latin. Conversely, several early Latin codices contain Anti-Marcionite Prologues to the Gospels.

According to the Muratorian fragment, the Testamentum included an Epistle to the Alexandrians and an Epistle to the Laodiceans.

Scholars equate the contents of this Marcionite Epistle to the Laodiceans with the Epistle to the Ephesians because the latter originally did not contain the words “in Ephesus”, and because it is the only non-Pastoral Pauline Epistle missing from the Testamentum, suggesting Laodiceans was simply Ephesians under another name.

Tertullian confirmed this when he stated that Marcion’s Apostolicon contained Ephesians under the name Laodiceans.

As for the Epistle to the Alexandrians, many scholars have equated this with the Epistle to the Hebrews.

The Epistle to the Hebrews was the only Pauline Epistle missing from the Muratorian fragment, and specifically, it was the only non-personal letter left in the Pauline corpus.

Clement of Alexandria believed the Epistle to the Hebrews (Alexandrians) was written anonymously due to Paul the Apostle’s negative reputation among Jews and Jewish Christians.

Alexandria itself was the second largest Jewish city at the time after Jerusalem, and an early Jewish-Christian community flourished there.

It is possible that at some point, the letter became a ‘circular-letter’ where the original destination of the epistle was either forgotten or purposefully removed, and the letter was simply exchanged to multiple Jewish-Christian communities across the Eastern Mediterranean, adopting the name ‘Epistle to the Hebrews’ to be more inclusive of the new broader audience.

The opening greetings of the Epistle to the Alexandrians were reconstructed using the 16^th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans.

Several scholars have argued, largely on the basis of internal evidence, that the 16^th chapter of Romans represents the opening of a separate letter of Paul that was later appended to the Epistle to the Romans erroneously.

It is worth noting that in many manuscripts, the Epistle to the Hebrews immediately follows the Epistle to the Romans. This may explain how, through a scribal error, the original opening of the Epistle to the Hebrews got attached to the end of the preceding Epistle to the Romans.

We know from the conclusion of the Epistle to the Alexandrians (Hebrews) that it was written by Paul from Rome, and the 16^th chapter of Romans contains salutations and greetings from numerous Christians in Rome that Paul only would have known of had Paul already been in the city.

Of note, one of the Christians mentioned by the Apostle Paul in these greetings and salutations is the father of Marcion of Sinope, one of the 70 Disciples of Jesus Christ, Philologus of Sinope:

“Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.” (Alexandrians 1:15)

Many scholars support a 14- or 15-chapter version of the Epistle to the Romans, thus excluding the 16^th chapter. This aligns with the original Marcionite Christian version of the Epistle to the Romans.

The prologue of the Epistle to the Alexandrians was reconstructed using an unused Latin prologue to the Epistle to the Ephesians

The Antilegomenon includes all the written texts of the Apostle Paul, whose authenticity or value is disputed.

Specifically, this includes the Epistle to the Alexandrians (Hebrews) and the three Pastoral Epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus). All these epistles, if their Pauline authorship is to be accepted, were among the last letters penned by the Apostle Paul before his death.

These epistles were not included in the original compilation of Marcion’s Apostolicon.

The Marcionite Church of Christ views these texts as a second canon or ‘deuterocanonical.’

These texts are useful to read for theological and historical purposes but are not equal to the Evangelicon and Apostolicon. Unlike apocryphal books, these texts may occasionally be used for liturgical purposes.

If, in the future, these texts can be definitively confirmed to be authentic works of the Apostle Paul, and their original, non-interpolated versions are found or can be reconstructed, the Marcionite Church of Christ would consider them to be included in the Apostolicon proper.

The versions of these epistles included in the Antilegomenon are shortened from the mainstream versions. The Marcionite Church of Christ relied primarily on the citations, allusions, and attestations of Clement of Alexandria, an early Christian theologian who lived ca. 200 AD., to reconstruct these epistles to be closer to their original form. In addition to Clement of Alexandria, we relied on other citations from 2nd-century patristic sources such as Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, and Athenagoras.

Like the other Pauline works, these epistles were expanded upon and edited by later Christians to comport with the emerging orthodoxy of the Church. At this point, many anti-Marcionite motifs were added to the Pastoral Epistles specifically.

It seems many Marcionite Christians, after the death of Marcion of Sinope, began to consider these texts as part of an expanded canon.

There were also Marcionite-esque Latin prologues found for the Pastoral Epistles, in particular for the Epistle to Titus:

“He warns and instructs Titus concerning the constitution of the presbytery and concerning spiritual conversation and heretics to be avoided who believe in the Jewish fables.”

Tertullian said the fact that the Pastoral Epistles were not part of Marcion’s Apostolicon astonished him, perhaps, because he could see some of the similarities between their content and that of the other Pauline letters, highlighted by the various prologues. Given the Marcionite character of the prologues to the first set of letters, recognized by Marcion, and some Marcionite features in the prologues to the Pastoral Letters, it seems that Marcionite collecting of Pauline epistles and prefacing them carried on after Marcion’s death.

Ephrem the Syrian refers to Marcionite Christians using 1 Timothy. Interestingly,  1 Timothy is the only epistle that directly quotes the Evangelicon.

Further, in some of his homilies against the Marcionite Christians, John Chrysostom referenced their use of 2 Timothy, which again shows a canon that continued to grow in the centuries following Marcion’s death.

Further, in some of his homilies against the Marcionite Christians, John Chrysostom referenced their use of 2 Timothy, which again shows a canon that continued to grow in the centuries following Marcion’s death.

So why did Marcion of Sinope not originally include these epistles in the Apostolicon? Did he reject them? Not necessarily; he may not have known of them.

The Pastoral Epistles were personal letters that may not have been as widely circulated as letters to the various churches, thus making them harder to compile. In addition to being written anonymously, the Epistle to the Alexandrians may have been originally composed in a Semitic language like Aramaic or Hebrew, languages Marcion may not have been familiar with. Clement of Alexandria suggested the Epistle to the Alexandrians (Hebrews) was only translated into Greek much later. Like the Apostle Paul, Marcion focused primarily on converting and evangelizing Gentiles and would have had less contact with the Jewish-Christian communities where the Epistle to the Alexandrians (Hebrews) circulated.

Some scholars have proposed that the Apostle Paul may have used an amanuensis, or secretary, in writing the disputed letters. The Epistle to the Alexandrians, references the epistle being dictated to Tertius the Deacon while the Apostle Paul was in prison.

All these reasons may explain why the text of the Pastorals and Alexandrians differs from the traditional Pauline corpus found in the Apostolicon.

All these reasons may explain why the text of the Pastorals and Alexandrians differs from the traditional Pauline corpus found in the Apostolicon.

It is clear that Marcion’s influence was sufficiently strong that the Catholic Church, after being unable to distance itself from Paul’s letters, decided to disassociate itself from Marcion at least as much as possible. As a result, the Catholic Church ventured to devise a new order for Paul’s epistles if they were going to continue to use them. They ultimately ordered their versions of epistles based on their size rather than on Marcion’s original chronological order.

At the time of Tertullian, around 200 C.E., the Catholic Church still hadn’t had a canon of books that they officially accepted as a bible.

This changed with the Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E. The Council of Nicaea was comprised of over 300 bishops within the Roman Empire who were gathered, under threat of exile, to put an end to doctrinal squabbling and create a unified Christian religion under the auspices of Rome. Leaders of the large and growing Marcionite Church were either not invited to the synod or refused to attend. It was presided over by Emperor Constantine – a worshipper of the Roman sun god, Sol Invictus. Constantine being ignorant of Christian theology, his only interest in absolving the squabbling was to restore peace in his empire. Emperor Constantine ordered the Hebrew Bible to be added to the Christian Bible. the Evangelicon is also removed and replaced with gospels of unknown origin.

In 331 C.E., six years after the Council of Nicaea disbands, Constantine orders fifty of the edited bibles published and religious scholars confirm they contained the Hebrew Bible and several new gospels.

In 332 C.E. Emperor Constantine announces his Edict Against the Heretics and ordered all Marcionite Christian churches and meeting places be confiscated by force and handed over to the Catholic Church.

Finally, following the Council of Rome in 382 C.E., the Catholic Church formally codifies what they have decided to include in their new bible: 46 books from the Hebrew Bible, including books not even considered canonical in Judaism (Deuterocanonical), and 27 books for the New Testament for a total of 73 books with four different gospels.

A second council was held at the Synod of Hippo in 393 C.E. reaffirming the previous council’s list of canonical books.

The Marcionite Church had a canon of eleven books for about three centuries by this time containing only one gospel and ten epistles.

The Marcionite versions of the Epistles of Paul were significantly shorter than the versions found in conventional Bibles. However, several scholars and historians have re-examined this issue and concluded that the Marcionite versions of the Epistles of Paul were much closer to the original texts, and that the conventional version has had numerous passages added to it, and they introduced false teaching on a range of subjects, including misogyny; Marcion broke with the legalism which characterizes the Catholic Church, proclaiming that salvation comes through faith only; the concept of original sin, the idea that God predestines our actions, in a sense causing sin; Anti-Semitism; eternal damnation, and anti-pagan rhetoric.

In Roman times it was common practice for a scribe to write in the name of a revered teacher from the past. Today we might think of this as forgery, but back then, the act of attributing one’s ideas and ­­­­­writings to someone from the past was regarded as an act of humility. It was also seen as a legitimate way of ensuring readers would take the ideas more seriously; Roman culture was very conservative in the sense that ideas connected with the past were greatly respected.

This common practice, known as ‘Interpolation’, which was when a scribe added a passage of their own writing to another person’s text. When copying the text, they would stop at a suitable point, insert extra material, and then resume copying from where they left off. Many of the well-known works from ancient times contain these inserted passages, such as the writings of Josephus and Homer; yet few people consider the possibility that such inserted passages may also be present in the bible.

Interpolations are the result of literary accretion. Adding books to a canon of scripture is likewise literary accretion.

In general, the original version of any book undergoing literary accretion would be the shortest version.

The documents that make up the Marcionite canon have not physically survived to modern times; all known copies were destroyed by the religious authorities when the Catholics gained political power in the fourth century. Despite this destruction, the Marcionite scriptures can still be restored. Many ancient Christian writers quoted from it extensively, particularly Tertullian in his five-book work Adversus Marcionem, Epiphanius in his Panarion, and to a lesser extent, Adamantius in De recta in Deum fide. They described the differences between the Testamentum and the official version of the scripture and even wrote commentaries on them.

By using these quotations and descriptions, we can reconstruct the Marcionite text. We do not have quotations or descriptions of every verse. But, in most places, the Marcionite canon was identical to the corresponding text in the conventional canon, and the ancient writers who quoted from it focused their attention mainly on the controversial passages where there were significant differences between the two versions. This means that in places where the Marcionite text is not known, it was probably identical to the conventional Bible’s text, so text from the conventional Bible can be used to fill in the gaps.

Through the careful study of these ancient sources, many passages and books in the Bible can be identified as unauthentic. Once such texts have been identified and removed, the teachings that remain are not only more authentic from a historical perspective but also more logical, self-consistent, and positive.

The reconstruction presented herein took a maximalist approach to the reconstruction of the Evangelicon and the Apostolicon.

The absence of evidence from the writings of Tertullian & Epiphanius or other patristic figures is never evidence of absence. A verse being unattested is not alone considered evidence for its exclusion.

Further, we do not accept a merely hypothetical interpolation as being valid if it is not supported by a primary source, namely Tertullian, Epiphanius, Ephrem, Irenaeus, or Adamantius. We, however, do consider hypothetical interpolations to be valid if the verse in question has a different order between various ancient manuscripts.

For the reconstruction of the Evangelicon, verses attested to by primary sources that are not found in the Gospel of Luke are only included if they lack a parallel verse in the Gospel of Luke. The entire pericope of that verse is included in the reconstruction for textual continuity, and it is placed as close as possible to where the parallel passage would exist in the Evangelicon.

We always use the largest version of any pericope in our reconstruction in order to maintain textual continuity and flow.

Likewise, we added pericopes to the Evangelicon, which include verses attested as being cut or excluded from the Evangelicon but are not verses found in the Gospel of Luke unless the verse in question lacks a parallel. The verse that was cut or excluded is removed from the pericope, but the remainder of the pericope is included in the reconstruction.

When a variant verse not from the Gospel of Luke is attested to, we only include the variant verse and exclude the rest of the associated pericope.

We also specifically included the so-called Pericope Adulterae from the Gospel of John in our reconstruction of the Evangelicon due to the fact that several ancient manuscripts include these verses in the Gospel of Luke. Some scholars have suggested that the pericope is not written in the same style as the rest of the Gospel of John, and have suggested it is written more in the style of the Gospel of Luke.

Lastly, any verses attested to have been part of the Gospel of Apelles are included in our reconstruction of the Evangelicon, as it is our belief that Apelles, the disciple of Marcion, continued to use the Testamentum.

Our identification of gospel parallels and pericopes is based on the work of Kurt Aland (Synopsis Quattuor Evangeliorum, 1985) and Lorin L. Cranford (A Study Manual of the New Testament, 1981).

On the other hand, the reconstruction of the Antilegomenon took a largely minimalist approach since these works are already disputed and challenged as authentic writings of the Apostle Paul. We only included verses that were directly cited, alluded to, or attested by Clement of Alexandria or other 2nd-century Ante-Nicene patristic figures such as Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, and Athenagoras in the form of biblical catenae. The rare exceptions to this were any verses alluded to in the Marcionite Prologues of the epistles or verses absolutely necessary for textual continuity.

The English language text of the Testamentum is taken from the King James Version, chosen simply because it is a formal equivalency translation; it is one of the most popular English translations, and because of the similarities to the words used in the other translations of the reconstructions of Marcion.

The version of Evangelicon is by James Hamlyn Hill (1891); it is based on the 1823 reconstruction by August Hahn. The version presented herein is further revised based on the works and commentary of Daniel Jon Mahar, David Inglis, and Stephan Huller to also reflect the reconstructions done by Gustav Volkmar (Das Evangelium Marcions: Text Und Kritik, 1852), Theodor Zahn (Geschichte des n.t. Kanons, vol.II., 1888), Charles B. Waite (History of the Christian Religion to the Year A. D. 200, 1881), and Andre Wautier (Comment Naquit Le Christianisme, 1980).

The reconstructions of the Pauline Epistles in the Apostolicon are based overall on the work of David Inglis utilizing material from Adolf von Harnack (History of Dogma, 1894), Paul-Louis Couchoud (La Première Edition de St Paul, 1928), and Jason BeDuhn (The First New Testament: Marcion’s Scriptural Canon, 2013).

The reconstructions of the Pauline Epistles in the Antilegomenon are based primarily on the work of Maegan C.M. Gilliland (The Text of the Pauline Epistles and Hebrews in Clement of Alexandria, 2016) and secondarily on the work of Philip Schaff (Ante-Nicene Fathers, 1885).

Our reconstruction of the Psalmicon is based on the work of James H. Charlesworth (The Earliest Christian Hymnbook: The Odes of Solomon, 2009), and the Litourgicon is based on work by A.W. Mitchell.

The Marcionite Church of Christ supports any English translations that are based on formal equivalency. We used the King James Version for the reconstruction of the Testamentum.

A literal translation tries to remain as close to the original text as possible, without adding the translators’ ideas and thoughts into the translation. Thus, the argument goes, the more literal the translation is, the less danger there is of corrupting the original message. This is, therefore, much more of a word-for-word view of translation.

The Psalmicon is a Marcionite Christian book of forty psalms that have been reconstructed from historical records. The Psalmicon is the earliest Christian hymnbook dating from around 125 to 134 C.E.

The Muratorian Fragment mentions a rejected book of psalms for Marcion, and these Marcionite Psalms are mentioned by Marutha of Maipherkat:

“…instead of the Psalms they [the Marcionites] have made themselves hymns for their services.”

It has been theorized the apocryphal ‘Odes to Solomon’ were originally these Marcionite psalms that were composed in Greek by Marcion and his disciples, but later due to their popularity, they were expanded upon and interpolated in a similar manner to how the Evangelicon was later transformed into the Gospel of Luke. The psalms may have also been used contemporaneously by gnostic sects such as the Valentinians.

It seems that when the Church Father Lactantius was translating the psalms into Latin, he inserted an additional psalm about the Virgin Birth, and later when the psalms were translated into Syriac, they were Judaized in their tone further to bring them closer to the prevailing orthodoxy.  At some point, these Marcionite psalms were then renamed the Odes of Solomon to tie them to the Hebrew Bible.

These psalms were originally referred to as ‘psalmoi idiotikoi‘, which means psalms not pertaining to the canon of scripture, or at least not the direct product of divine inspiration.

At the Council of Laodicea in 360 C.E., it was decreed that no psalms composed by uninspired men should be used in the Church service. These compositions were thus excluded.

The Marcionite Church recognizes these psalms are not divinely inspired but sees them as useful for liturgical purposes.

Our reconstruction of these psalms is based on the work of James H. Charlesworth.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Colossians 3:16

The Litourgicon is a Marcionite Christian liturgical guide that has been reconstructed from historical records, eyewitness accounts, theologians, and the scriptures of Paul the Apostle. It is designed to be used by the laity in conjunction with the Testamentum and will teach you how to conduct a simple Mass during times of persecution and oppression, just as the first Christians did.

You will also learn how to conduct the sacraments of Holy Baptism, Holy Chrismation, Holy Communion, and Holy Reconciliation following the ancient Christian rites.

Tertullian mentioned that the sacraments Marcionite Christians performed were similar to those of his own Catholic Church.

The Marcionite Christians seemed to have worshiped very similarly to Catholics. This is demonstrated by Cyril of Jerusalem, who had warned Christians against accidentally entering a Marcionite church when traveling.

Marcionite Christians recognize eleven traditional sacraments, including Holy Baptism, Holy Chrismation, Holy Communion, Holy Reconciliation, Holy Matrimony, Holy Unction, Holy Ordination, Holy Pedilavium, Holy Osculum, Holy Veiling, and the Holy Lovefeast.

Holy Baptism, Holy Chrismation, and one’s first Holy Communion are considered the three Sacraments of Initiation, and after completion, one is considered fully initiated into the Marcionite Church of Christ.

After completing their Sacraments of Initiation, all Marcionite Christians are to wear a Chi Rho necklace at all times as an indication of their commitment to the Christian faith.

These sacraments are based on scripture and instituted by either Jesus or the Apostles.

Holy Baptism was considered the first and foundational sacrament for the early Church. References to it can be found throughout the Testamentum, including the following:

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Romans 5:3-4

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12:13

“Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”

Colossians 2:12

For Holy Chrismation the Apostle Paul writes that the baptized Laodiceans were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, in reference to Holy Chrismation.

“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”

Laodiceans 1:13

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

Laodiceans 4:30

The Holy Communion was clearly established at the Last Supper, as recounted in the following verses:

“And they rehearsed the things that happened in the way, and how he became known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

Evangelicon 24:34

“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 11:24-27

As Marcionite Christians, we understand that Jesus gave the authority to forgive sin to the Apostles. We believe this authority has been passed down through Presbyters to the present day with the sacrament of Holy Reconciliation.

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” 

Romans 8:13

Healing the sick was a vital part of Jesus’ ministry, and it was carried on by his disciples after his Resurrection. This is continued to this day with the sacrament of Holy Unction.

“And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.”

Evangelicon 5:22

Marcionite Christians have always believed that Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Ordination before his ascension:

“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, That thus it was neccessary for the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.”

Evangelicon 24:43-45

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

2 Corinthians 5:20

In the Testamentum, some of the Scriptures show Holy Matrimony to be a sign of Christ and the Church, as well as a special bond between man and woman:

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

Laodiceans 5:31-32

Holy Pedilavium was instituted as a sacrament by Jesus when he washed his disciples’ feet during the Last Supper and when he forgave the sins of a woman who washed his feet:

“He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.”

Evangelicon 20:10-11

“And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house: thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.  My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.”

Evangelicon 5:45-49

The sacrament of the Holy Osculum (Holy Kiss) was instituted by the Apostle Paul and is referenced numerous times in the Apostolicon. One example is the following:

 “All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss.”

1 Corinthians 16:20

The sacrament of Holy Veiling, which only applies to women, was also instituted as a sacrament by the Apostle Paul when he wrote:

“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.”

1 Corinthians 11:3-15

Finally, the sacrament of the Holy Lovefest, which follows Holy Communion, was referenced by the Apostle Paul:

“Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.”

1 Corinthians 11:33-34

Marcionite Christians reject infant baptism as infants cannot repent or believe. Infants are born without sin and incapable of committing sin. They have no need for baptism until they can begin to learn to discern right from wrong and are thus accountable to God for their own actions. Baptism in Scripture always has the prerequisite of repentance and faith, which are impossible for an infant. Further, there are no explicit instances of infant baptism in the scripture. Marcionite Christians believe in ‘Credobaptism‘, otherwise known as ‘Believer’s Baptism‘, and that it should be practiced via full triple or trine immersion. This is done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and the three days and three nights Jesus was in the tomb.

In keeping with the traditions of the earliest Christians, Marcionite Christians are to fast for the entire day prior to their baptism.

The Marcionite Church of Christ recognizes any trinitarian credobaptism done via full triple immersion; otherwise, the Marcionite Church of Christ requires you to be rebaptized.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

Evangelicon 24:55

‘Chrismation‘ is the Marcionite Christian term for ‘Confirmation‘, and it occurs shortly following baptism, which is not considered complete or fully efficacious until Chrismation is received.

The Marcionite Church of Christ believes that anyone who had a trinitarian credobaptism done via a complete triple immersion but did not have a Confirmation or Chrismation following will need to seal their baptism by undergoing a Chrismation.

Marcionite Christians practice Communion under both kinds. Communion of only the Eucharistic Bread is seen as imperfect. Further, Marcionite Christians kneel to receive Communion directly upon the tongue.

Yes. Marcionite Christians believe in the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of the whole substance of wine into the substance of the Blood of Christ. This change is brought about in the eucharistic prayer through the efficacy of the word of Christ and by the action of the Holy Spirit. However, the outward characteristics of bread and wine, that is, the ‘eucharistic species,’ remain unaltered.

Yes. Marcionite Christians believe that the confession and absolution components of Holy Reconciliation must occur in the sight of other believers. The use of a confessional is prohibited as all confessions must be made publicly by the confessant.

Marcionite Christians must pray the Lord’s Prayer thrice daily in honor of the Holy Trinity and for the three days and three nights that Jesus was in the tomb. In addition, Marcionite Christians must pray once in the morning, once in the evening, once before bed, and before every meal. Before praying and before attending Mass, all Marcionite Christians must wash their hands, faces, and feet, and all prayers should be uttered while facing the west, kneeling, bowing their head, and folding their hands.

Ephrem the Syrian claimed that Marcionite Christians prayed in a westward direction, otherwise known as ‘Ad occidentem’.

While there is no direct scriptural basis for this in the Testamentum, it does not contradict scripture. It appears that this form of directional prayer developed as a holy tradition within Marcionite Chrisitan communities.

This tradition was most likely formed as a means to distinguish Marcionite Christians from their Judeo-Christian neighbors, who inherited the tradition of praying toward the East from Judaism. The eastward direction of prayer also serves as an homage to the Hebrew Bible’s book of Genesis because the Garden of Eden was supposedly planted in the east.

For these reasons, Marcionite Christians rejected eastward or ‘Ad orientem’ prayer and instead adopted their own unique westward or ‘Ad occidentem’ prayer tradition.

Marcionite Christians celebrate Christmas on November 24^th, the exact day that Jesus descended into Capernaum from Heaven in 29 C.E. This corresponds with a total solar eclipse that happened on Thursday, November 24^th, 29 C.E. at 11:05 A.M and lasted precisely one minute and 59 seconds.

Marcionite Christians celebrate Good Friday on the first Friday of April. Jesus was crucified on Friday, April 3^rd, 33 C.E. This corresponds with a lunar eclipse that started at 6:20 P.M. and ended 30 minutes later at 6:50 P.M.

“And it was about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the sanctuary was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said this, he expired.”

Evangelicon 23:42-46

Utilizing this date, Marcionite Christians can easily determine the precise dates of the entire Holy Week every year using the first Friday of April as their basis. This includes Holy Sunday (Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem), Holy Monday (Parable of the Minas), Holy Tuesday (Jesus cleansed the temple and responded to the questioning of his authority), Spy Wednesday (Betrayal of Jesus by Judas), Holy Thursday (The Last Supper), Good Friday (The Crucifixion of Jesus), Black Saturday (Jesus Laid in the Sepulcher), Easter Sunday (The Resurrection), and finally Ascension Monday (Jesus’ Ascension).

Marcionite Christians are to fast both on Spy Wednesday, in remembrance of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, and on Holy Friday in mourning for the crucifixion of Jesus.

Marcionite Christians celebrate the Feast of Marcion. A celebration of the  life and contributions of Marcion of Sinope on the Holy Day of July 15th, the Ides of July, which reflect the date found in the old Marcionite Christian phrase, “115 years and six and a half months between Christ and Marcion.” Tertullian also quotes this phrase. It is the period beginning when Jesus descended to earth in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar in 29 C.E., and the ex-communication of Marcion of Sinope by the Roman ecclesia in July of 144 C.E. Marcion of Sinope’s steadfast courage derived from the Holy Spirit against powerful forces allowed him to prevail and show others our Christian God was only revealed to us through Jesus Christ.

In addition, Marcionite Christians celebrate the Feast of the True Cross on September 14th.

According to Christian tradition, the True Cross was discovered in 326 by Helena of Constantinople, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, during a pilgrimage she made to Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built at the discovery site by order of Helena and Constantine. The church was dedicated nine years later, with a portion of the cross. One-third remained in Jerusalem, one-third was brought to Rome and deposited in the Sessorian Basilica Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, and one-third was taken to Constantinople to make the city impregnable.

Mass, as structured, is non-denominational and does not favor one ‘brand‘ of Christianity over another.

Mass should be conducted in the vernacular, and women must wear head coverings while men must have their heads uncovered. Before Mass, everyone must wash their hands, faces, and feet. All prayers are conducted facing westward (‘Ad occidentem’). Whenever the Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned during Mass, the congregants must bow their heads.

Marcionite Christians meet twice on the Lord’s Day. The Lord’s Day is Sunday which serves as a weekly memorial to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Marcionite Christians meet first in the morning for a ‘Liturgy of the Catechumens’, which is open to all, and then again at the end of the day to resume Mass with a ‘Liturgy of the Faithful’, which is only open to those who have completed the three sacraments of initiation or are about to receive their first communion. This is followed by a communal and sacramental meal called the Holy Lovefeast. Each person brings some food that is equally divided among all. This is a fitting end to a day that began with a simple prayer in the morning, culminating in the celebration of God and Christ. This meal symbolizes fellowship, sharing, unity, and brotherhood. Marcionite Christians must fast from their evening prayer on Saturday until they receive Holy Communion on Sunday.

The meal must also be delivered to the infirm, sick, or anyone unable to attend Mass.

The Marcionite Christian Mass adheres to the practice of open communion to all Christians who have had a trinitarian credobaptism done via full triple immersion followed by Confirmation or Chrismation.

Mass and prayers should be conducted in whatever language you are capable of understanding, this is typically the vernacular. However, the Marcionite Church of Christ has no restrictions on the use of liturgical languages such as Latin or Koine Greek so long as the congregants can fully understand the words being uttered.

No. Marcionite Christians consider the veneration of the saints to amount to the heresy of idolatry, and the related practice of canonization amounts to the heresy of deification. Marcionite Christian theology denies that any real distinction between veneration and worship can be made, and claims that the practice of veneration distracts the Christian soul from its true object, the worship of God.

To Marcionite Christians, the word ‘saint’ is used more generally to refer to anyone who is a Christian. This is similar in usage to the Apostle Paul’s numerous references in the Apostolicon.

In this sense, anyone who is within the Body of Christ (a professing Christian) is a saint because of their relationship with Jesus Christ. Marcionite Christians consider intercessory prayers to the saints to be idolatry, since they perceive it to be an application of divine worship that should be given only to God himself is being given to other believers, dead or alive.

While Marcionite Christians view all Christians as saints and do not venerate or worship them, it is acceptable to honor and admire Biblical Saints, who are saints mentioned directly or indirectly in the Testamentum. This includes the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus Christ and other named Christians from the Evangelicon or Apostolicon. It is acceptable for Marcionite Churches and other institutions to be named after these saints.

Marcionite Christians make the sign of the cross when entering or passing a church, during the introduction and conclusion of Mass, after receiving Holy Communion, before and after Holy Reconciliation, after Holy Chrismation, and before the morning and evening prayers. The motion is performed by joining the first three fingers, to symbolize the Holy Trinity, putting the two other fingers in the palm, then touching one’s forehead, below the chest, left side, then right side, and finishing with an open hand on the chest again while bowing the head. The Trinitarian formula accompanies the sign of the cross: at the forehead “In the name of the Father…” at the stomach or heart “…and of the Son…”; across the shoulders “…and of the Holy Spirit…“; and finally: “…Amen“.

The only dietary restrictions Marcionite Christians must follow are from the Apostolic Decree which prohibits the eating of food sacrificed to idols, eating blood, eating meat containing blood, and eating meat of animals that were strangled.

“Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” 

1 Timothy 4:2-5

No. There is no basis for mandating a vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan diet in scripture.

For the Apostle Paul, vegetarianism was a way of not offending vegetarian hosts, but was not an explicit command of God.

“But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat…”

Romans 12:15

Marcionite Christians are to fast both on Spy Wednesday, in remembrance of the betrayal of Christ by Judas, and on Good Friday in mourning of the crucifixion of Jesus.

Marcionite Christians must fast from their evening prayer on Saturday until they receive Holy Communion on Sunday and for the entire day prior to their baptism.

No. Marriage and having a family is both virtuous and honorable. We do not prohibit clergy from marrying and having children; in fact, it is required to be ordained as a Presbyter.

“A presbyter then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?“

1 Timothy 3:2-53

Two. The Marcionite Church of Christ has the traditional two Holy Orders of  Presbyter and Deacon.

These are expanded upon with the additional suborders of Protopresbyters and Protodeacons.

Yes. The Marcionite Church of Christ is governed by our Presbyterium which is a college or council of ordained Presbyters.

Yes. We allow for the ordination of women as deaconesses. They may assist in the performing of all the sacraments. This is in keeping with the traditions and practices of the early Christians. Women must cover their heads when in church, during Mass, and when praying.

Yes. Marcionite Christian clergy should wear a clerical collar and a pectoral Chi Rho when conducting church services.